Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Feb 1992
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialOral midazolam is an effective premedication for children having day-stay anaesthesia.
The effect of oral premedication was studied in a double-blind, randomised trial of 200 children undergoing day-stay anaesthesia. Midazolam 0.25 mg/kg, midazolam 0.5 mg/kg, diazepam 0.5 mg/kg or a placebo was given orally one hour prior to anaesthesia. Patient state was assessed at nine stages, from administration of the premedication up to and including induction of anaesthesia, using a four-point behavioural scale. ⋯ Children receiving midazolam 0.5 mg/kg or diazepam 0.5 mg/kg slept longest in the post anaesthetic recovery room (P less than 0.005), and spent most time there (P less than .005). There was no difference between groups in the length of time spent in the day-stay ward or in the number of overnight admissions. The study shows that a high proportion of unsedated children are calm at induction of anaesthesia and that oral midazolam is an effective premedication in children for day-stay anaesthesia.